Challenges of Teaching English Listening Skills at the Primary Level in Bangladesh

Srejon Datta, Sukanto Roy

Abstract


This research attempts to explore the challenges of teaching English listening skills at primary-level schools in Bangladesh. A mixed method was applied to conduct the research. The quantitative data was collected by a survey questionnaire from 30 primary-level English teachers. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing 5 primary level teachers. From the collected data, it is explored that the teachers confront several challenges in teaching listening skills, i.e., independent of teaching listening skills, teachers are bound to follow merely the vast syllabus of the institution, and they do not have any liberty to bring something beyond the stipulated instructions given by the authority. Few teachers have access to required teaching instruments like a computer, the internet, speakers, recorders, and a projector, and due to not having such instruments, the teachers cannot expose their students to cartoons, rhymes, stories, poems, and fables. A common view among the interviewees was that listening to--- and watching-- such types of audio-visual representations is effective in terms of honing students’ listening and literacy. Also, teachers’ classroom environment is not suitable for the teaching of listening skills. Many teachers are not yet trained to enact the proper pedagogy of listening. However, the time period of the primary level is so pivotal that if learners are not exposed to listening skills at that time, they then remain passive and weak in listening, communication, and literacy. Additionally, this study also provides recommendations for the establishment of and enhancing the teaching of listening skills at the primary level in Bangladesh.

Keywords


Listening Skill, Primary Level, Learning, Challenges, Teaching

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ahmadi, S. M. (2016). The importance of listening comprehension in language learning. International Journal of Research in English Education, 1(1), 7–10. https://ijreeonline.com/article-1-22-en.pdf

Ahmed, F. E. Y. (2017). Challenges experienced by EFL university instructors in teaching listening skill: A case study of college of science and arts- Tanumah- King Khalid University. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 3(3), 1168 –1182.

Ahmed, M. K. (2021). Teaching listening among Bangladeshi learners: A case study on teachers’ effective feedback and students’ situational impressions. American International Journal of Social Science Research, 9(1), 45–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.46281/aijssr.v9i1.1432

Alrawashdeh, A. I., & Al-zayed, N. N. (2017). Difficulties that English teachers encounter while teaching listening comprehension and their attitudes towards them. English Language Teaching, 10 (5), 167 – 178.

Alzamil, J. (2021). Listening skills: Important but difficult to learn. Arab World English Journal, 12(3), 366 –374. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no3.2

Ambia, S. J. M. U., & Rahman, M. S. (2021). Challenges in primary level inclusive Education in Bangladesh. International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, 9(11), 14-20. https://www.academia.edu/62930608/Challenges_in_Primary_Level_Inclusive_Education_in_Bangladesh

Bozorgian, H. (2012). Listening skill requires a further look into second/foreign language learning. International Scholarly Research Network, 2012, 1 – 10. https://downloads.hindawi.com/archive/2012/810129.pdf

Danh, L. T., & Quan, N. H. (2021). Vietnamese university EFL teachers’ reported and classroom practices in teaching listening. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 4(5), 10 –26. https://doi.org/10.51386/25815946/ijsms-v4i5p102

Demirbaş, İ., & Şahin, A. (2022). The effect of digital stories on primary school students’ listening comprehension skills. Participatory Educational Research, 9 (6), 380–397. http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.22.144.9.6

Gilakjani, A. P., & Ahmadi, M. R. (2011). A study of factors affecting EFL learners’ English listening comprehension and the strategies for improvement. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2(5), 977 – 988. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.2.5.977-988

Gulec, S., & Durmus, N. (2015). A study aiming to develop listening Skills of elementary second grade Students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191(1), 103-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.487

Hasan, A. (2000). Learners’ perceptions of listening comprehension problems. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 13(2), 137-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908310008666595

Hasan, M., & Hoon, B. (2012). ESL learners’ perception and Attitude Developing listening skills. The English teacher, 5(2).

Hashim, N. A., Mustafa, M. C., Ariffin, A., & Eshak, Z. (2020). The importance of English listening and speaking skills to preschool children in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(7), 838–844. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i7/7614

Hosan, M.S., & Weiyan, C. (2022). Classroom management in primary schools of Bangladesh: Problems and prospects. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 10(9), 19-54. https://doi.org/10.37745/ijeld.2013/vol10n91954

Hossain, K. A. (2015). Teaching listening to Bangladeshi students at tertiary level. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 20(5), 38–41. https://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol20-issue5/Version-7/H020573841.pdf

Hossain, M. R. (2019). Teaching and learning challenges of the primary English teachers in Bangladesh. Journal of ELT and Education, 2(1), 72–78. https://www.academia.edu/42663639/TEACHING_AND_LEARNING_CHALLENGES_OF_THE_PRIMARY_ENGLISH_TEACHERS_IN_BANGLADESH

Hossain, M. A., Nessa, M., & Kafi, M. A. (2015). Challenges of teaching English language at the primary level schools in Bangladesh. Banglavision Research Journal, 15(1), 7–18. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_mMKZo_P6AhVfSGwGHdJhCJwQFnoECBMQAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbv-f.org%2Fvol-15%2F01.%2520bv%2520final.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1Y2yAVBv4BwhX9mWbf9-Qy

Hossain, M. S., & Haque, M. N. (2022). Complexities in teaching English in higher secondary level: A study of four colleges in Bogura District, Bangladesh. Journal of Language, 4(1), 34-48. https://jurnal.uisu.ac.id/index.php/journaloflanguage/article/view/5225/pdf

Hunter, D., & Zaman, T. (2022). English language teaching, learning and assessment in Bangladesh: Policies and practices in the school education system. British Council. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/2022-06/ELT_learning_assessment_Bangladesh_June_2022.pdf

Hwaider, S. M. (2017). Problems of teaching the listening skill to Yemeni EFL learners. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 7(6), 140–148. https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0617/ijsrp-p6619.pdf

Khan, I. U., & Karim, A. (2014). Strategies for improving English language listening skill (The case of distract BANNU). Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(7), 37 – 48. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234673878.pdf

Khan, M. E. I., Siddique, M. A. B., & Shiblu, M. N. H. S. (2020). Custom practices of English education at the rural primary schools in Bangladesh. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(11), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.11.5

Mabin, M., & Roy, S. (2023). Shifting from blackboards to a white screen: Utilizing interactive multimedia to teach English in Bangladesh primary schools. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 11(8), 137 - 147. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2023.110801

Mehdiyev, E. (2020). Opinions of EFL students regarding autonomous learning in language teaching. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 16(2), 521-536. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.759241

Metruk, R. (n.d.). Extensive listening practice of EFL learners with authentic English videos. TheJournal of Teaching English with Technology, 18(4), 3–19.https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1195821.pdf

Milon, R. K. (2016). Challenges of teaching English at the rural primary school in Bangladesh: Some recommendations. ELK Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences, 2(3). https://www.elkjournals.com/MasterAdmin/UploadFolder/CHALLENGES%20OF%20TEACHING%20ENGLISH%20-2/CHALLENGES%20OF%20TEACHING%20ENGLISH%20-2.pdf

National Curriculum and Textbook Board. (2012). National curriculum of English for primary education. Dhaka, Bangladesh: NCTB. http://www.nctb.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/nctb.portal.gov.bd/files/3bfe97e7_f8b0_4661_baa9_7dbc464cd014/3.%20EnglishCurri.pdf

Ngwoke, F. U., Ugwuagbo, W., & Nwokolo, B. O. (2022). Refocusing on listening skills and note-taking: Imperative skills for university students’ learning in an L2 environment. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(7), 124 –1251. https://tpls.academypublication.com/index.php/tpls/article/view/3596/3084

Nunan, D. (1998). Approaches to teaching listening in the language classroom. In Proceedings of the 1997 Korea TESOL Conference. KOTESOL, Taejon, Korea. https://koreatesol.org/sites/default/files/pdf_publications/KOTESOL-Proceeds1997web.pdf

Nur, S. (2018). Secondary English language teacher capacity: Insight from Bangladesh. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 6(4), 163 – 174. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.6n.4p.163

Patwary, M. N., & Rumman, M. S. I. (2019). Teaching English listening skills at the secondary level in Bangladesh. Crossings: A Journal of English Studies, 10, 179–199. https://deh.ulab.edu.bd/sites/default/files/Patwary-and-Rumman.pdf

Rahman, M. S. (2021). Challenges for learning English of rural primary students at Pabna district in Bangladesh. IJARIIE, 7(3), 805 – 816. http://ijariie.com/AdminUploadPdf/Challenges_for_Learning_English_of_Rural_Primary_Students_at_Pabna_District_in_Bangladesh_ijariie13966.pdf

Rani, S. (2018). The challengesin English listening skill of Bangladeshi EFL learners. DIU Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(1), 57–68. https://www.academia.edu/42800303/Factor_Analysis_The_Challengesin_English_Liste ning_Skill_of_Bangladeshi_EFL_Learners

Rouf, M. A., & Mohamed, A. R. (2022). Secondary school EL teachers’ classroom language proficiency: A case study in Bangladesh. The Qualitative Report, 27(3), 691 – 715. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359218445_Secondary_School_EL_Teachers’_Classroom_Language_Proficiency_A_Case_Study_in_Bangladesh

Ruman, M.A.K. (2021). Challenges of teaching English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at Qawmi Madrasas under BEFAQ in Bangladesh. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(7), 125-138. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.7.14

Saraswaty, D. R. (2018). Learners’ difficulties and strategies in listening comprehension. English Community Journal, 2(1), 139 – 152. https://doi.org/10.32502/ecj.v2i1.1003

Shrestha, P. N. (2013). English language classroom practices: Bangladeshi primary school children’s perceptions. RELC Journal, 44(2), 147-162. DOI: 10.1177/0033688213488466

Shurovi, M. (2014). CLT and ELT in Bangladesh: Practice and prospect of speaking and listening. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(6), 1263-1268. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.5.6.1263-1268

Siddik, M. A. B., & Kawai, N. (2020). Government primary school teacher training needs for inclusive education in Bangladesh. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 16(2), 35-69. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268928.pdf

Sultana, F., & Ahsan, M. A. (2013). Efficacy of communicative language teaching in primary school – Bangladesh context. International Journal of English Language Education, 2(1), 113 – 119. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v2i1.4734

Ulum, Ö. G. (2015). Listening: The ignored skilled in EFL context. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education, 2(5), 72 – 80. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577306.pdf

Vishnupriya, S., & Bharathi, R. (2022). The role of listening strategies in improvising the listening skill for an effective communication. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6 (4), 2662 – 2678. https://www.journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/3732/2785




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.3

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

2013-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.

International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies  

You may require to add the 'aiac.org.au' domain to your e-mail 'safe list’ If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox'. Otherwise, you may check your 'Spam mail' or 'junk mail' folders.